{"id":501,"date":"2007-11-26T11:04:07","date_gmt":"2007-11-26T11:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2007\/11\/26\/schvitzing\/"},"modified":"2014-01-10T14:12:52","modified_gmt":"2014-01-10T14:12:52","slug":"schvitzing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2007\/11\/26\/schvitzing\/","title":{"rendered":"Schvitzing"},"content":{"rendered":"

How could it take me so long to stumble upon this gem in the New York Times- \u201c<\/a>A Little More Sweat, Maestro.\u201d<\/a> ?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Who is the sweatiest conductor? Answer below! (Photo assembly from the New York Times)<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It has long been postulated that the aerobic benefits of conducting were the key factor in the unusually long lives and careers of conductors like Monteux, Stowkowski, Wand and Sanderling. My own feeling is that once you know what it takes to develop a really first rate and long-lasting career, you wouldn\u2019t let something as pedestrian as death stop you working. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

But, I can certainly testify that for me, conducting, especially big repertoire, is a workout. An Elgar, Sibelius or Mahler symphony is bound to be exhausting and calorie burning work\u2026. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

My favourite quote from the Times piece is this on the merits of \u201cconductorcise-\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>And it is low impact and requires no skill, making it easy for people who are older, very overweight or chair bound.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No skill, eh, paper of record? Well, I doubt you\u2019d find many orchestra musicians who disagree\u2026 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sweating maestros is a topic one can discourse on at length. I sweat between a bit and a lot in concerts and some in rehearsals, which actually puts me in the moderate-to-light sweating end of the conductor\/perspiration continuum. [Venue is important- I always feel totally dehydrated after an evening in Guildford’s Electric Theatre, and I might has well have done the Sahara run as conduct the Wilmslow Symphony in\u00a0Wilmslow Leisure Centre last month. My suit could have driven\u00a0itself\u00a0home after that concert]. But if you think I’m bad… There are some conductors who begin to sweat from every pore the second they open a score, conductors who cannot rehearse without a towel(s), conductors who regularly splatter the front desks of the strings in every rehearsal. If your principals are bringing umbrellas to rehearsal, try less coffee beforehand. Most conductors wear black to rehearsal for two reasons- it makes the baton easier to see, and doesn\u2019t change color when soaked with sweat. I would say that more than half of professional conductors change shirts at the break in rehearsals.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Without doubt, <\/span>London<\/span> musicians have the most interesting and broadminded takes on conductor sweating. I recently heard one of the major <\/span>London<\/span> orchestras referring to a very famous and very, very sweaty conductor as \u201cthe self-basting pig\u201d a cruel, but cruelly funny nickname. I trust they meant it affectionately. Of course, the maestro would be deeply hurt to learn this, but could take comfort in the fact that his career choice, which \u201cis low impact and requires no skill, making it easy for people who are older, very overweight or chair bound,\u201d means he\u2019ll be racking up lovely fees when they\u2019re all in their early graves\u2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Answer- This is tough competition- three of my favorite conductors. Although David Robertson is shining the most brightly in this picture array, research has shown that James Conlon sweats just a little more than his peers in this lineup. None of them is on the extreme end of the perspiration spectrum (and Abado sweats less since his cancer problems caused him to become economical in his approach), although Conlon may enhance his sweating performance by being the only maestro in Cincinnati who had his own espresso machine in the dressing room.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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